


Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

by marinefollese



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Because I can, F/M, also kuromomo for couple of the year, reverse harem for riko dearest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-21 18:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2478536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marinefollese/pseuds/marinefollese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Riko takes on the role of coach of the Teiko High School Basketball team, she does not expect this much trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so riko babe deserves a reverse harem fic here because i can, and also this was totally inspired by uta-no prince sama. yeah.

When Riko walks into the gym on Monday, it’s a far cry from what she’s expecting. She’s heard that the basketball team in her school is pretty good- - or else she wouldn’t have taken up this job, despite Satsuki’s consistent insistence that she do-  so she expects to see the gym full of students. Instead, all Riko sees are an odd group of six practising,  and this confuses her greatly.

“Hello!” A blond boy greets from where his on the court, earning him a basketball to the head from a tanned one.

“Hello,” she responds tentatively, “can I speak to the manager, or the captain?”

“I’m the captain.” A voice says, and she identifies it as one of the redheads ascending the stairs towards her.

“Good afternoon. I’m Aida Riko, the-“

“The new coach, right? We’ve been waiting, Riko-san.”

Riko nods, albeit somewhat astonished. She gathers her things, a clipboard, whistle and her water bottle, and heads over to where the other boys are.

“I’d like to start things off with a little roll-call, so when I call out your names, please say ‘present’.”

“Uh, Akashi Seijuro?”

The boy from earlier- the _captain_ , she reminds herself- nods at her. She marks it on her attendance sheet.

“Aomine Daiki?”

The tanned one eyes her suspiciously before asking her, “What do you know about basketball anyways?”

“Well, Aomine-san, my father was on the Olympic team, and I’ve been working with him as a physical trainer, and a coach since I was little. I know this game inside out. Any other questions?” She asks sharply, and the boys all shake their head.

“Kagami Taiga?”

The other redhead, this time with weird, split eyebrows, raises his hand. At least this one seems relatively normal, appearances aside.

“Kise Ryouta?”

The blond from earlier smiles at her. “Here, Coach!” He waves, and she smiles a little at his enthusiasm.

“Uh, Kuroko Tetsuya?”

When none of the boys claim the name, she makes a ‘tch’ sound and proceeds to mark his name as absent, when someone taps her on the shoulder. She screams.

“I’m here,” the someone says, and when she turns around, she’s met with a boy with passive blue eyes, and hair a matching shade.

“Okay, Midorima Shintarou?”

The bespectacled one, with green hair, nods at her. His expression is cold, and scares her a little.

All that’s left is the large purple-haired one.

“Murasakibara Atsushi, I’m guessing.” She looks into his bored violet eyes, and he nods slowly at her.

“Mmhm,” he says, and his voice is not what she’s expecting. She was expecting something deep, and rich, but this boy’s voice was relatively high-pitched, and child-like.

“I’m Aida Riko, from class 1-A, and I’ll be your coach starting today. As an icebreaker, how about you give me ten laps outside.” She blows her whistle, and watches as they move out of the gym.

Why did she even agree to be their coach anyway?


	2. Chapter 2

Practice was rolling around quite nicely the past couple of weeks, or so Riko would like to think. They boys behaved well enough, showed much more talent than she thought was possible from them, and were punctual.

Well most of them at least.

It was three-thirty in the afternoon- practice started at three. The tanned one- Aomine-kun- she corrected herself, and the redhead with odd eyebrows- Kagami-kun- were _late_. And she hated tardy people.

An hour later, the two run into the gym.

“You’re late.” She hisses, and it has the intended effect- both boys shrink a little. From somewhere behind her, she can hear the purple-haired one- Murasakibara-kun- chuckle.

“Sorry, coach. We had detention.” Kagami-kun at least has the decency to apologise, she decides.

“Why were you in detention?”

“Uh,” Aomine has the grace to look sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck, “we were both caught sleeping in class.”

Riko’s eyes flare open, and she smacks both their heads with her clipboard.

“Go run five laps. That should wake you up plenty.” Both of them groan, but head out anyway.

Riko turns back to face the rest of them.

“Rikocchi, please, don’t be so harsh on them!” The blond- Kise Ryouta-kun; he’d _insisted_ she call him by his birth name- tries reasoning. Despite him being a little noisy, she could see he was really a sweet boy at heart, and she smiles at him.

“They were morons, and they have to pay the price, Ryouta-kun.” He frowns a little, before picking up a ball and continuing where he left off.

She picks up her clipboard, when the doors to the gym burst open.

“Riko-chan, sorry I’m late!” Satsuki hurries over to her side.

“It’s okay. Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun should be finishing up their laps outside. Could you go check on them for me? The rest of you please practice your pass-course routes with Kuroko-kun.”

She goes back to making notes on her clipboard, wondering why two high school athletes are taking so long to run laps.

“Riko-chan,” Satsuki approaches her gingerly, and she begins to get suspicious, “they’re playing a one-on-one game outside.”

Riko’s eye twitches, and she decides that she needs to head outside right now.

 


	3. Chapter 3

She gets the tournament roster two months after she joins the club. Satsuki gives it to her- the other girl had gone down the tournament office to pick it up for her, and now Riko truly understands the value of a manager.

She and Satsuki go through it over coffee and cake at a nearby café.

“So, who’re you putting in the starting lineup?” Satsuki asks over her latte, and Riko decides that she is the perfect person to confide in.

“I’ve pretty much decided that Murasakibara-kun, Midorima-kun, and Ryouta-kun should be in the starting lineup. I’ll probably put Akashi-kun in too, but I can’t really pick between Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun. They’ve both got unrivalled ability, and it’s hard to choose, skill-wise.”

“How about Tetsu-kun?” Satsuki asks shyly, and there’s a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks to match her hair.

“Kuroko Tetsuya? I’m thinking of putting him later, when one  of them gets tired.”

“You see, Riko-chan,” and Satsuki grasps her hands, “put Tetsu-kun in the game. It’s a win-win situation, because you don’t have to pick between Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun, and I get to watch Tetsu-kun play in a game.” She sighs dreamily at the end, but despite this, Riko thinks that this is the perfect plan.

“You’re a lifesaver, Satsuki!”

“What are friends for?” Satsuki giggles.

\--

The next practice session they have, she decides to tell them of the starting lineup.

“Gather ‘round! Riko-chan needs to tell you something!” Satsuki hollers to the boys.

“You needed somethin’ coach?” Kagami asks her.

“I’ve decided on the starting lineup. Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, Akashi-kun, Kise-kun and Kuroko-kun shall start. Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun, you’ll be on the bench with me.”

She can see protests forming in both Aomine and Kagami’s mouth, but a sharp look kills them.

“Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun, I need to talk to you once we’re done.” The two boys nod briefly and continue with practice.

She can tell that the news of the starting lineup got to the two of them, because their game was a little off. She decided to push forward the talk a little.

“Boys, you’re dismissed. Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun, over here, please.” She leads them outside the gym, where they can talk without being disturbed.

“I know the both of you are upset over not getting picked, but I have my reasons for doing so.” She tells them when they are seated outside, on on of the benches, sandwiched in between the two.

“First of all, you both are the best players on the team. That’s why I had a hard time picking- if I picked one, the other would be left out. I couldn’t have that. Second, I don’t think it’s best strategy-wise to show off all our cards in the beginning, right? I’ll eventually put you in, and in the higher rounds of the tournament, you’re gonna be starting, no question, alright?” She gets up from her seat and looks at them both, before ruffling their hair.

“You boys go take a shower. I’m going to go photocopy the roster.” She makes her way down to the school office.

\--

She’s surprised to find that the lights to the gym are still turned on.

“Hello?” She calls, only to not have a response.

When she walks in, she sees Midorima sitting on one of the benches tying up his shoelaces.

“Midorima-kun, why are you still here?”

“I was practicing my shots.” His replies are always short, and concise.

“Oh. You should be heading home. It’s late.” She surprised that he stays this long to practice.

“You too. Might I ask what you’re still doing here, coach?”

“Riko. My name’s Riko, not coach,” she corrects. “I was photocopying the tournament roster for you boys. Satsuki offered to do it, but she has a quiz tomorrow, and she’s gotta study.”

“I appreciate it.” Riko makes a surprised noise at this, and Midorima turns red.

“I mean…uh- you’re dedication to the team is worth it.” He only turns redder at this, and Riko can’t help but think it’s cute.

“Thanks, Midorima-kun. Now come on,” she grabs his hand, “we should head home!”

And they run out of the gym.


	4. Chapter 4

Now, with the tournament actually coming up, she decides that the club needs to step up their game.

“Boys,” she calls out the moment she enters the gym, “take off your shirts, all of you!”

Just like many of her radical ideas, this is met with some apprehension, but once again a look from her dispels all protests. Besides, she thinks the way Satsuki’s eyes shine when Kuroko takes off his shirt is worth this ‘torture’.

She walks past all of them, ignoring their reactions. Both Kise and Midorima have turned different shades of red. Aomine and Kagami look a little flustered, and Murasakibara, Kuroko and Akashi look unfazed.

“Okay, I’ve decided. Ryouta-kun, you need to run one more lap everyday. Aomine-kun, Akashi-kun, Kagami-kun and Murasakibara-kun you’re fine. Keep doing what you’re doing. Midorima-kun, start training your leg muscles. Kuroko-kun, uh, just stick to passing the ball. Don’t push yourself.”

This was apparently not what they were expecting, because they all look shocked.

“Hell, coach, we thought you were gonna punish us or something!” Kagami laughs, and Riko finds her cheeks heating up a little.

“What’re you waiting for? Start practice now!” She snaps, angry at the way Kagami is able to make her feel.

A chorus of “yes, coach!” and two hours of hell for them leave her satisfied.

She blows her whistle to signal the end of practice, and watches as all the boys run out of the gym.

\--

A week later, and she’s anxious for results.

“Take off your shirts!” She yells and this time isn’t met with any protest.

“Ryouta-kun, good to know you’ve been adhering to my advice. You too, Midorima-kun. The rest of you keep up the good work!” She blows her whistle to start practice.

Practice runs pretty smoothly. The team’s only fault is that they don’t have enough members to have a practice match, so she sets them up in teams of three.

“Murasakibara-kun, you team with Ryouta-kun and Kagami-kun. Aomine-kun, you team up with Midorima-kun and Akashi-kun. Kuroko-kun, come here and observe. Think of ways to switch up your pass courses.”

With a firm nod from her, the three-on-three begins.

Surprisingly, they tie, thanks to Aomine’s fantastic offensive power, and Murasakibara’s amazing defense.

“You boys go shower. I’ll buy drinks.” She offers, and as she turns around, she feels a giant hand on her shoulder.

“Murasakibara-kun?”

“Can I come, Riko-chin?”

“Oh, sure.” She leads out of the gym, and to where the vending machines are.

“Hey, Riko-chin, can I ask, why’d you join the club?” He doesn’t look at her while talking, instead staring at the drinks in her hands. Her smile softens and she stifles a laugh at the way his face lights up when she hands him his.

“Well, Satsuki was practically begging me, and I figured why not? It’s a good way to spend more time with her, and I met an amazing basketball team too. You’re all so talented.” She beams up at him.

“Thanks, Riko-chin, for both the drink and _that_.”

“By the way, why Riko-chin?”

“It’s how I show affection. You don’t like it?” He looks a tiny bit guilty, and she wants to hug him because he looks like a sulking child, really.

“It’s fine, really, Murasaki-“

“Atsushi. You call Kise-chin by his name, and I call you by yours, so maybe you could return the favour?” He asks, and she can see a dusting of pink on his cheeks.

“Sure, Atsushi.” This time he doesn't conceal his smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the reason mura calls her riko-chin and not aida-chin, is because riko insisted they all refer to her by her given name.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weehee! more tiny bits of muraxriko, but i'm planning on throwing more romance as this fic goes on

Their first game doesn't turn out to be so bad. Well at least, not so far.

Kagami and Aomine give her advice from experience, and she combines with it her own to make a killer strategy which they use in the second quarter. During halftime, however, she faces a different problem.

“Riko-chan and I made lemons for you guys!” Satsuki rummages through her bag, and produces a tupperware filled aforementioned lemons.

“Geez, Satsuki you’re supposed to- oh wait, you did!” Aomine sounds surprised, and Riko wonders why.

“It must be Rikocchi’s doing then!” Kise says brightly, and Riko shakes her head. “Actually it was Satsuki’s mother.”

“Figures. Your mom was always a better cook,” Aomine plucks a lemon slice from the container and inspects it, before putting it in his mouth and chewing.

Satsuki makes sure each of them has a lemon slice, and Riko discusses a few of her strategies with the team, as well as some observations of the other team. Satsuki volunteers her data when appropriate, and Akashi shares his opinion as well. The others, are mainly quiet as they look at Riko with rapt attention.

“Also, Ryouta-kun, you’re putting too much strain on your knee already, so I’m pulling you out. Aomine-kun, you go in for him. Kuroko-kun, you too- I’m pulling you out. Kagami-kun, you’ll substitute him. As for the rest of you, Midorima-kun, keep up your performance, as do you, Akashi-kun. Atsushi-kun, please, try a little harder, okay? I want to see our full efforts. All of us.” She punctuates, and Murasakibara nods slightly. It feels good to know that her words do get to them, and she ruffles his hair on their way out.

“Riko-chin,” she likes the way he says her name- he drags it out, adding more syllables than there actually are, “I’m sorry if I’m not playing hard enough.” He looks sorry, glaring daggers into the wall, and she brushes his arm gently.

“Atsushi-kun, it’s fine, okay. It’s your first game, and you- you’re all- performing exceptionally, but I’d like to see your best. And don’t push yourself too much if you can’t, okay. I know you can.” She knows encouragement goes a long way for an athlete, and this fact is made more concrete when Murasakibara nods resolutely at her.

“’Kay, Riko-chin. I’ll win, okay?”

She’s seen the difference in ability between both teams, and she knows that Teiko can’t do anything but win, but she nods anyway, and she is rewarded from a small, happy smile from him.

In the end, they win anyway, and Riko’s heart melts at the sight of the boys hugging each other- save for Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara, who was hugged, but returned them half-heartedly- and she and Satsuki throw themselves onto the boys too, despite how sweaty they are.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay totally based this on the scene in utapri where ren kisses haruka's cheek.
> 
> weaboo trivia: ren and aomine share seiyuus so that is something to think about for you

When they are done showering, Riko decides that a celebratory dinner is in order. She tells them this when they sit around her in the locker room, ready for a debrief. Her heart soars at the way Aomine, Kagami and Kise's face light up. Both Kuroko and Akashi sport small smiles, while Murasakibara isn't scowling.

"Riko-san," Akashi touches her arm and she turns to face him, "I'll pay. It's no big deal."

"Oh Akashi-kun, I couldn't!" Riko sounds almost scandalized, and Aomine ruffles her hair. "You should, actually. He's loaded. Simple dinner like this won't cost him a thing."

Akashi glares at Aomine and Riko still finds having Akashi pay for the whole thing a bit hard to swallow. He gives her a pointed look, and she acquiesces. Riko thinks Akashi isn't going to give her a choice. 

And he's not. He selects a casual family joint, and Riko knows he picks this place in order to placate her, not to cut down on costs, and they get a large table in the back. Riko sits at the head of the table, with Akashi to her left and Satsuki to her right. She tried giving her seat to Akashi- he was the _captain_ \- but he refused politely. 

Riko lets Akashi order, and he (expectedly) orders a traditional Japanese fare, and she makes sure all the boys get a decent share before she and Satsuki dig in. After all, they were the ones who just played a game.  

Riko almost drops her chopsticks in surprise, however, when she sees how much Murasakibara and Kagami can eat. They seem to stuff their faces endlessly, filling up their plates and bowls with serving after serving. When the rest have finished eating, Kagami and Murasakibara show no sign of stopping. 

"They sure can eat a lot, huh?" Riko hears Aomine say behind her. When did he get there?

The question dies on her tongue, however, when she sees just how close Aomine is to her. She feels him peck her cheek shyly, and her face burns.

"Heh, thanks for letting me play today. I enjoyed it!" He sounds somewhat nervous, speaking with a pink tinge on his cheeks. She thanks all the gods she knows, despite not being very religious, that no one else was witness to the moment they just shared. 

She revokes her thanks when she sees Satsuki give her a knowing smirk. Her face heats, and she chooses to ignore it, in favour of watching Murasakibara devour an entire ice cream in one bite.

Unbeknownst to her, Akashi shoots a glare in Aomine's direction, having born witness to the entire scene. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay reverse harem cliche where the girl runs into the guy when she's out with her bff

"So, Satsuki," Riko draws out over their ice cream, "Kuroko-kun, huh?" Satsuki splutters and nearly chokes on her ice cream, turning red, and Riko has the grace to hide her laugh behind her spoon. 

"Yes, Riko-chan, Tetsu-kun." Satsuki urges her to go on.

"You like him, don't you?" Riko asks, somewhat seriously. 

"I do." Suddenly as an afterthought, "Please don't tell me you like him too," she says, burying her face into her hands. 

"Oh, no!" Riko laughs. "He's not my type."

"Then, Riko-chan what is your type? Is it Dai-chan or is it Mukkun?" Satsuki smiles slyly at her and Riko curses at the turn the conversation took. 

"Why does it have to either of them?" Riko snaps.

"Because I've seen you get awful cosy with 'em!" Riko's nose wrinkles. "Riko-chan," Satsuki grasps her hands, "having a crush is normal. It's fine to have a crush on someone you spend a lot of time with."

"I know that, but why those two? If anything, I should be falling for Ryouta-kun. He's a model after all," Riko sighs. 

"Riko-chan!" Satsuki gasps, slapping her arm. "So Ki-chan, huh? Hurry up and confess before he's taken!" Satsuki says. 

Suddenly, Satsuki's eyes widen and Riko scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. She follows the direction of Satsuki's gaze to the window of the cafe where a very happy blond is waving at them. He pushes the door open and goes to sit with them. 

"Hello, Momocchi; Rikocchi!" He's so cheery and Riko smiles along with him despite herself. He orders a small ice cream for himself and quickly steals the spoon from Riko's hand as she is about to put in in her mouth. He giggles around the spoon and Riko feels a vein pop. 

"What the hell are you-"

"Rikocchi and I just shared an indirect kiss! Take a picture, Momocchi!" He throws an arm around Riko's shoulder and brings them closer together while Satsuki fishes for her phone. 

"Okay, one, two, three," she snaps the photograph and smiles, satisfied with the result. 

"Oh yes, Riko-chan, what was that you were talking about before Ki-chan came along?" Satsuki smirks and Riko resists the urge to slap her best friend. 

"Hmm?" Kise hums in curiousity, digging into his ice cream which finally arrived. 

"Nothing." Riko snaps.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's stated in one of the audio dramas that mura's position was 9th in yosen

Riko never lets Satsuki get the best of her over the course of the next few weeks. It's not like Satsuki had time anyways, midterms were coming up, and both girls were up to their necks in homework. 

"Riko-chan, we have a problem." Satsuki offers as an alternative to 'hello' when she enters the gym that day.

"What problem?" 

"Well, our adviser says that if anyone fails the midterms, they won't be allowed to participate!"

"Then we've gotta to get their grades up to shape!" Riko declares with resolve, and she and Satsuki pump fists. 

\---

The next day, she gathers all of them in the gym, all seated in the bleachers, while she and Satsuki face them. 

"If you haven't heard, idiots who fail the midterms will not be allowed to participate in the Inter High, which we worked so hard to get to. I have all your level positions here, as well as your grades, courtesy of Satsuki. Morons," she looks specifically at Kagami and Aomine, "who aren't in the top 200 aren't allowed to participate either."

"Akashi-kun is number one in our level, Midorima-kun is number eight, and Atsushi-kun is number eleven." She smiles at all three of them, blinking a little when Midorima turns a little pink and averts her eyes.

"Kuroko-kun is seventy-eight. Not bad Kuroko-kun, try to keep it up!" 

"Next up, Ryouta-kun. Number one hundred and fifty. You need to get your grades up, Ryouta-kun! I'll help you if necessary." 

" _Bakagami. Ahomine_." Riko's blood boils when she eyes their numbers. "You're in the bottom hundred. Just how bad are you two?" She asks in disbelief and Akashi chuckles. 

"Riko-san, they're the epitome of one-trick ponies." 

"Well, Akashi-kun, we've gotta change that don't we? It's time we raise your grades. You too, Ryouta-kun. And I expect cooperation from all of you." She gets a collective sigh from the team, and scans through the other sheets of paper Satsuki compiled for her. 

"Based on this," she waved her clipboard, "Kuroko-kun will help with Literature, both classical and modern. Midorima-kun with Biology and Chemistry. Atsushi-kun with Physics, Akashi-kun with History and Geography. I will be overseeing everything myself. We will be at my house from tomorrow onwards. Understood?"

"Yes, coach!" She gets from the team. 

"By the way, Rikocchi, what position did you get?" Kise asks from behind her. She turns around to face them. 

"Second." 

She appreciates the way both Kagami and Aomine faint in shock. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've mostly included the books i've read, or thought the guys might like to read in this chapter ^^

The tutoring goes well enough that all the boys manage to qualify for the Inter High. The first few games of the Inter High go smoothly, too, with Teiko winning all their matches so far. 

This string of good luck, however, is interrupted by the announcement of the Teiko High School Cultural Festival. 

\--

"We should have a photo booth! With costumes and everything!" Kise insists. 

Riko's problem lies here: each club has to come up with their own booth for the festival, and the basketball club hasn't decided. At all. 

"I suggest a fortune telling booth. Astrology is ver-"

"Shut up, Midorima, nobody cares," Aomine snaps. 

"How about a cafe?" Kagami suggests and Murasakibara pipes up. 

"That sounds nice," Murasakibara says. 

"Let's make it a themed cafe, then." Kuroko suggests. 

"Yeah, um, how about a basketball-themed one?" Aomine adds, and Kagami nods beside him. 

"That won't do. Not everyone functions on the same level of eat, sleep, basketball as you two do." Riko says. The two of them deflate a little. 

"Maybe a book cafe? So our patrons may read while they're there?" Kuroko adds on to his earlier suggestion. 

"Yes! Kuroko-kun, that's perfect!" 

"As expected of Tetsu-kun," Momoi gushes. 

"Bo-o-ring!" Aomine sings, "who the hell wants to read and eat at the same time?" 

"Actually, Daiki, you'll find out it is quite appealing to those who've got a brain," Akashi says dryly. 

"Hey! I have a brain!"

"Boys! Are we going to come up with anything else? I think that a book cafe is a pretty good idea; I love reading and I personally would love to go to a book cafe, so I think that we should put one up." Riko says. 

"You enjoy reading, Riko-san?" Akashi asks, showing the first sign of interest in the entire conversation. 

"Mmhm," she nodded, "I do, Akashi-kun." 

It was those words that sent the Teiko Basketball Club (sans Kuroko) into a competition to see who could impress Aida Riko with their choice of book. 

\--

  **i: the tale of Kise Ryouta and his photobook**

Kise Ryouta was by no means an avid reader. So when it came time for him to show off his literary skills, he was stumped. Glancing at his barren bookshelf (honestly, why did he even have one?) inspired him. Riko just said she liked books, right? She didn't say that they had to be worded.

Kise shows up the next day with a whole collection of his photobooks in hand and a tiny blush on his face. 

"Um, Rikocchi, I wanna show you something," he says hesitantly, when he manages to get her alone before one of her classes. She quirks one of her eyebrows up in inquiry and he shoves all his photobooks into her hand.

"Rikocchi! You should take a look at my photobooks!" He musters up the confidence to say this. He isn't usually lacking in it, but Riko's presence sucks it out of him. 

She laughs at him. She actually laughs at him. Then, she flips through one of the books curiously and her cheeks turn pink. 

"Ryouta-kun looks cool in this one," she mutters when she stops at a particular page. 

"Really?" He beams. 

"Yes, now get back to class, idiot!" She relies on aggression when she gets nervous, he notes. It's cute. 

\--

**ii: the tale of Midorima Shintarou and the dictionary**

Midorima checks Riko's horoscope in addition to his own, that morning. Her lucky item is an English-to-Japanese dictionary. He stops by at the bookstore on his way to school. 

Riko is in his class, thank goodness, so he places the dictionary on her table when she isn't looking. Unfortunately for him, Cancers ranked third that day, so she turned around in time to catch him doing so. 

"What are you doing, Midorima-kun?" 

"Y-your lucky item for today is an English-to-Japanese dictionary. I was only trying to be helpful, for your information," he harrumphed, all the while a strong blush covering his face. 

"Okay, thanks?" Riko accepted the strange gift, as she did all his quirks. She sips her milk like nothing happened, flipping through the dictionary. 

Her lips are pouted when she's focused, Midorima sees. It's cute, he thinks. 

\--

**iii: the tale of Murasakibara Atsushi and the Monthly Boys' Magazine**

Murasakibara hates reading. Let it be known, he thinks, rummaging in his room for  _something_ he can show Riko tomorrow. When he sees his stacks of Monthly Boys' magazines, he changes his mind. Maybe Riko likes action manga? 

"Riko-chin," he says in school the next day. He's visiting her class during recess and he's surprised to find that she's only drinking a box of milk. 

"Isn't Riko-chin hungry?" He tilts his chin towards her box of milk, "You're only having milk?" 

"Oh yeah, I'm not that hungry." She brushes it off, and he plonks his magazine in front of her. 

"Riko-chin, I brought my manga to show you. Because you know not everyone likes reading books, so I thought we should have manga too." 

This is honestly the most she's heard him speak so she nods, happy to see him taking an interest in things. 

"And then I thought, what manga does Riko-chin like?" He asks, thumbing through the pages of his magazine. He presses it into her hands, urging her to read. She flips through and stops at one of his favourites. Her brown eyes are darting across the page, one finger twirling a lock of her hair. She lets out a tiny giggle and looks up at him, "It's probably this one. I read it long ago, and for the life of me I never bothered to keep up with it," she sighs. 

"But thank you Atsushi-kun," she says softly, looking back down at the manga. 

"Keep it, Riko-chin," he says and saunters out of the classroom. 

_'Just now, she looked cute twirling her hair like that,'_

\--

**iv: the tale of Aomine Daiki and the Basketball Monthly**

Aomine Daiki reads two kinds of things: gravure magazines, and basketball magazines. Needless to say, Riko would kill him if he showed off his precious collection of Horikata Mai photobooks, so he settled for his slightly less impressive collection of basketball magazines. 

"Look, Coach, for the cafe, we should have a variety. Not everyone wants to read a thick-ass book," he informs her while dumping the magazines on her desk. 

"Does it always have to be basketball with you?" She asked, eyes narrowing at him. Her eyebrows furrowed in her amusement. 

"Anyways, just read it!" He encouraged. She huffed and flipped through his magazine, and when she looked back up at his face, he was grinning. 

"I guess we can include sports magazines, I mean-"

"Hell yeah! Thanks, coach!" 

Aomine thinks about Riko's eyebrows furrowing. She's kinda cute. 

\--

**v: the tale of Akashi Seijuuro and the traditional poetry anthology**

Akashi was in the midst of practicing his calligraphy when an idea struck him. Riko was going to be impressed by his gift. 

He approaches her in class that day, again lucky that he's in her class (unfortunately, Midorima is too). She looks at him before standing up to acknowledge him, and he would be lying if he said his heart didn't start to beat faster. 

"Riko-san," he starts, "I have brought you an anthology. It consists of some traditional Japanese poetry, and the poet's style seems to make words fly off the page. May I add, that the script featured in the book is really worth your while?"

"Thanks, Akashi-kun," she sounds a little unsure and she bites her lip.

"You're welcome," he says, becoming aware of how beautiful she is. 

\--

  **vi: the tale of Kagami Taiga and the Murakami Haruki novel (featuring: Kuroko Tetsuya)**

Kagami thanks the few gods he knows when Kuroko offers to help him find a book for Riko. He doesn't read beyond basketball magazines, and there's no way that those would peak her interest, so he feels stumped. 

Kuroko whisks him away after school to the bookstore, and guides him to the bestsellers section. 

"Riko-san is intelligent, so I'm assuming she enjoys reading, the same way I do," Kuroko speaks while browsing through a few novels. He makes a tiny humming noise when he finds one he likes and thrusts it into Kagami's hands. 

"Here," he says, "and you'd better not mess up, Kagami-kun."

-

Kagami locates Riko the next day, and slams the book in front of her. "I, uh, got you, uh, something!" He exclaimed and Riko opens the bag. She pulls out the novel and her eyes light up, mouth curling into a huge smile. 

"Kagami-kun," she gushes, "it's perfect! Thank you! How did you know I was looking for this book?" 

"Uh," Kagami scratches the back of his neck, "Kuroko helped. I asked him to help me find a book for you and he came with me to go get one." Kagami deflates a little when admitting that, but Riko shakes her head and clutches the book to her chest.

"Thanks, Kagami-kun, really. Yours was better than the books the other idiots gave me."

Kagami's grin widens and he pumps his fist.

 _'Suck it losers,'_ he thinks. He also thinks about how cute she was just now gushing over his present. Maybe he should start cooking for her, too? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> score one kagami!! once i get an idea for the next chapter, i should have it out. also if you wanna talk on tumblr, my writing blog is makorinandthensome :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SQUEE we've hit a thousand hits! tbh i never thought a rikoharem would even get popular so this is really cool!!

"Riko-san, as you know," Akashi tells her when he meets her for a special 'captain and coach' meeting, "I do take these meetings very seriously. I hope you try to be punctual next time." 

"Ahh, I'm sorry, Akashi-kun!" She apologises, because the intensity of his gaze can force anything out of her mouth, honestly, "But Murasakibara-kun was talking about something and I got held up for a little bit, and, uh, you can coun-"

"Atsushi was holding you up?" 

"Yes," she says. Akashi nods once and brushed the topic under the rug. Akashi presses closer to her after he takes out some of his materials, going over them with her. Riko's a little tense from the proximity, but Akashi pays no mind to her behaviour, continuing in his findings. She nods where appropriate, but she knows that he knows. 

"Look, Riko-san, if you're going to be distracted, we should talk about something else. Something that doesn't require use of your head." He says seriously, but knocks her head lightly for effect. She huffs and narrows her eyes at him. 

"OK, what about you? Um, what's your favourite food?"

"Tofu soup. Yours?"

"Um, celery." She answers, not looking him in the eye. His face is dangerously close to hers- does this boy not understand personal space?

"Riko-san, am I making you uncomfortable?" He asks politely. She nods slowly and he smiles. He shifts his chair away a little and smiles at her. The tension is her body seeps out quite visibly and Akashi's eyes twinkle. 

"You're so cute, Riko-san." He says with no airs at all. Riko's heart kicks into overdrive, because this is the first time anyone- any boy- has ever said anything like this to her. The certainty of his tone and the warmth in his eyes make Riko believe him, and he reacts appropriately, blushing and sheepishly looking into her lap.

"Riko-san, I suppose now is as a good time as ever." Akashi says with resolve. Riko's eyes widen at the sudden change in his demeanour and before she can ask him anything of it, he opens his mouth again. 

"I like you, Riko-san. Very much so." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw u have no inspiration and crank out this garbage~


	11. Chapter 11

Riko's heart thuds in her chest at his sudden confession; she's never had a boy confess to her before and she's stumped. What should she say to him? 

"Riko-chan!" Satsuki's high-pitched call cuts through the silence in the gym. Riko averts her gaze to the door, awaiting Satsuki's timely appearance and thanking everything she knew for helping her escape the awkward situation she was in. She ran out of the gym, intent on finding Satsuki, escaping Akashi and hopefully get some advice.

"Akashi-kun, sorry! I should go see what Satsuki wants. We'll continue this later, okay?" She cries out to him, on her way out. Riko misses the frustrated look that passes Akashi's face on her way out, slamming the gym door behind her. 

"Satsuki," the name tumbles from her mouth in a sigh of relief, "what's up?"

"I was looking for you. You said you'd walk home with me today because Tetsu-kun is busy helping Kagami-kun with something."

"Oh," Riko swallows, "yeah sure, let's go." Riko says, as the two make a quick stop at her classroom so she can pick up her things before they head out of the school building. 

"What were you doing in the gym anyways? There wasn't any practice today and as far as I know all the boys went home." Satsuki asks. 

"Akashi-kun wanted to have a meeting with me since I'm the coach. And he's the captain. So-"

"Wait!" Satsuki hollers. "The two of you were in the gym alone? That's so romantic," she gushes. 

Riko gives her an unimpressed look, but suddenly gets an idea. "Satsuki, what does it mean when a boy says he likes you? Like, very much."

"I'd think it means he has a crush! Why, did Akashi-kun say something?" Satsuki asks, genuine curiosity etched on her gentle features. Riko blanches and nods- Satsuki is her best friend. Which means Satsuki is the best person to confide in about something like this. 

"Riko-chan! Akashi-kun likes you?" Satsuki gasps, slapping her best friend on the shoulder excitedly. 

"That's what he said."

"What did you say?" 

"I, uh," Riko twiddles her fingers, "ran out of there before I could say anything. You were calling for me so I took it as an opportunity to get out of there." 

"WHAT?" Satsuki screeches. "You ran away from him for me? How could you be so stupid! You should've let me wait and accept his confession and-"

"That's the thing. I don't know if I like him. Sure, he's handsome and smart, but I, just, don't like him that way." 

"That's a toughie," Satsuki nods sagely. "What are you going to do?"

"Tell him the truth." Riko says resolutely, determined to do the right thing.

* * *

Riko avoids him. Like the plague. She always runs down the opposite direction of the corridor when she sees him, makes up excuses to avoid spending extra time with him during or after practice. She's sure Akashi's realised something by now; he's not stupid and will definitely confront her when his patience wears thin.

He gets his opportunity after practice one day. While everyone was still showering, he'd already dressed back into his school uniform and was waiting for Riko to return to the gym from the storage closet. 

Seeing his rigid posture and impatient ruby eyes directed on her, Riko almost drops her clipboard in shock. 

"You said we'd continue this. You've been avoiding me." Akashi's tone is accusatory. 

"I know, I'm sorry." Riko apologises, tucking her hair behind her ear. "The truth is, I've been avoiding you because I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Akashi's tone softens, as he approaches her gently. His hand meet her arm, hoping to relax her, but Riko's heart only thuds faster. 

"You're the first boy that's ever confessed to me and I was so nervous and unsure," she rambles in one breath. "But we've only known each other for a few months and you're a really nice person and an amazing captain-"

"You're rejecting me," Akashi states with a resigned smile. 

Riko's eyes dart up in surprise and she nods. "I'm really sorry Akashi-kun, I really am."

"No, it's okay, as long as you know that I'm always here. I will remain by your side as a friend, nothing will change between us," Akashi assures her. Riko's smiles at him, his hand still attached to her arm. 

Their moment is interrupted by Aomine's loud footsteps. 

"Yo," he drawls, eyebrows knitting in confusion, "what's going on here? You confessin' to coach, Akashi?" Aomine's gaze is drawn to Akashi's hand on Riko, jealousy colouring his eyes a dark shade of blue. 

Riko opens her mouth to say something but Akashi beats her to it. "I did. We've decided to remain friends, though, Aomine, so rest assured."

Aomine grins wildly, eyes filling with an emotion Riko couldn't place- relief?. Aomine gives Akashi a rough pat on the back and Riko a softer one on her shoulder, before exiting the gym. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh ya'll must've thought i wouldn't update but surprise bitch!! do ppl still read this fic anymore lol? truth is i lost interest in knb for a long time but i was re-reading this fic and i thought an update would b nice. even if it's two years later. hope u guys like it!!

**Author's Note:**

> akashi uses '-san' because i'd like to think he's a little more polite to the ladies.


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